The present invention relates to containers for dispensing liquids and other viscous fluids used primarily in the building trades, and more particularly, to such containers that have brushes or other applicators.
Plumbers frequently use PVC and ABS type cement or adhesive in bonding pipe and pipe fittings made of these plastics. Such adhesives are required by law to be shipped in metal containers because of their tendency to give off harmful vapors and because of their flammability. One type of adhesive widely used to bond ABS waste and vent pipe to pipe fittings therefor meets or exceeds ASTM-D-2235. This type of adhesive contains methyl ethyl ketone which has a relatively high vapor pressure at ambient temperature. Prolonged breathing of the vapors given off by this type of adhesive at high concentration levels is potentially harmful to the plumber's health. Furthermore, increasingly stringent governmental air quality standards put severe limits on the amount of such chemicals that are allowed to be expelled into the atmosphere.
ABS and PVC type-adhesives are typically sold in metal glue pots that have threaded caps which have brushes, dobbers or other applicators permanently affixed thereto. Such a glue pot is cumbersome to use. The threaded mouth of such a glue pot soon becomes encrusted with dried adhesive, making it difficult, if not impossible, to screw on the cap. When joining pipes and pipe fittings, the plumber typically does not have two free hands, so he cannot screw on the cap after each glue application, thus allowing potentially harmful vapors to escape. If such a container is left unsealed during a hot day, the adhesive in the container can begin to harden. Also, conventional metal glue pots are frequently knocked over by a plumber resulting in spillage of the adhesive onto the surrounding work area. This results in substantial potentially harmful vapors, lost time due to the ensuing clean up and added cost due to the necessary replacement of the relatively expensive adhesive. The same types of problems are encountered with a wide variety of other liquids dispensed in the building trade such as liquid solder flux, paints, solvents, etc.